Serenata Flowers Review and Chocolate Hamper giveaway

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Fiona Martin

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It’s always nice when you get a surprise delivery, be it a bunch of gorgeous flowers, a plant or a hamper and Serenata Flowers are an online company that can arrange for any of these gifts to be sent to the person of your choice.

I was delighted to be sent this Lavender Planter, perfect to stand on my patio, and one of my favourite colours. Included is the wooden planter and inside are two lovely lavender plants.

I’m really pleased with this gift and would have been more than happy to receive it as a surprise. It fits perfectly in with the feel of my garden, is a style I like and I love the colour!

The quality from Serenata is great and the plant I received was packed very well, certainly a company I’d use again if I wanted to send some birthday flowers, or a hamper treat.

Talking of hampers, Serenata have a wide range available from pamper hampers, to cheese hampers, food hampers and this rather delicious looking luxury chocolate hamper of which I have one to giveaway!

Contains:

Belgian Choclate Infused Handmade Fudge 113g

Willow Hamper – Small

Luxury Ribboned Box of Belgian Chocolates – Small

Ballotin of Salted Toffee Truffles 100g

White Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Luxury Dark Chocolate Coated Brazil Nuts

Luxury Yoghurt Covered Peanut/Raisins

If you’d like to win the above hamper then just fill in the Gleam form below:

serenata

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the a lavender planter in order to write the review.

Thomas J Fudge’s Salted Caramel Florentines

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Fiona Martin

Salted Caramel Florentines from Thomas J Fudge’s sounded like a perfect treat, so I couldn’t wait to taste them. I’ve always been a fan of Thomas J Fudge’s savoury biscuits but never really tried the sweet varieties.

These florentines are a trio of chocolate, nuts and salted caramel and certainly didn’t disappoint. They look luxurious, are a generous size and half coated in a thick layer of milk chocolate.

The flaked almonds give them a great texture and with the combination of the caramel and dried fruit they have a chewy bite. You only need one of these at a time, due to their richness, but that’s a good thing because not only do you save on calories, but the pack lasts longer!

If you haven’t tried Thomas J Fudge’s biscuits and savouries, then I’d highly recommend them – they never disappoint and are the perfect little bite of indulgence!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the products in order to write the review.

42 days of Summer fun with BN biscuits

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Six weeks of school summer holidays means 42 days to have fun with the children, days out, days at home, some in the garden having fun, others inside playing games, baking and making crafty pictures. So much to do, so much fun to have, where do we start.

If it’s sunny and you want to get out but not go to far, why not try out a local park that you’ve never been too. We discovered one the other week that ended up being fabulous, the children loved it, lots of new things to do and we ended up spending a good few hours there walking around and playing.

They loved the zip wire, in fact we didn’t know we had one so close to home. They are now eager to return!

This big hammock like swing was a huge hit and my two lay on it for ages relaxing while mummy gently pushed them.

There was also a huge wooden structure to climb on, which Miss M was eager to try out. Mister B wasn’t so keen but gave it a go.

If it’s a dry day why not get the children out on their bikes and scooters for a ride. Mister B has just mastered his scooter after many months of insisting he couldn’t ride it. The summer is a great time to teach them how to ride things.

If you need to get on with some household chores, then get the children to help. They love it more than you think. Here they are helping me to clear some of the plants and weeds from their grandparents garden.

If it’s raining, there are plenty of things to keep children occupied with indoors, board games, cooking, crafting or how about face painting? Miss M made her first attempt at face painting the last week when she painted Mister B’s face with Spiderman. I was very impressed and we had lots of fun for the afternoon decorating each other’s faces!

So no matter what you do, whatever the weather, you always tend to feel a little peckish and tired in the afternoon. This is a great time to sit down and have a little snack. As it’s the summer holidays then why not make it a fun snack, such as a McVitie’s BN biscuit!

These crispy sandwich biscuits come in Chocolate and Raspberry flavours, with a fun smiley face on the top. Miss M and Mister B loved these particularly the chocolate flavour and I have to agree they did taste rather good!

McVities BN biscuits are perfect to bring a smile to hungry children and are not too heavy so make a great snack. Why not try some to bring a smile to your summer?

This post is an entry for 42 Days of Summer Linky Challenge sponsored by McVitie’s BN.

All Bran Cereals Real Mums 5 day Challenge

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Fiona Martin

All Bran from Kelloggs have set a Real Mums 5 day challenge to make a difference to your digestive system simply by eating one of the new tasty All Bran varieties each morning for 5 days.

The new flavours that we were sent to try are Golden Crunch, Red Berry Crunch and Chocolate Wheats. The children immediately had their eye on the chocolate wheats so I was keen to see whether they enjoyed the cereals too and if it had any effect on their well being at the same time.

The cereals really don’t taste like traditional All Bran even though they are full of healthy bran. I really enjoyed the Red Berry Crunch, full of bran, mixed cereal pieces and freeze dried fruit.

The Golden Crunch was tasty too, full of multi grain clusters although I did find this a bit sweeter to taste, but great for a suppertime snack.

The Chocolate Wheats were really tasty, everyone in the family enjoyed these and the children joined in with the 5 day challenge.

Eating healthily is something we always try and do, although we do have treats and sweet things. For me, I do try to have a healthy breakfast although it can sometimes be difficult when in a rush on busy mornings getting the children ready for school. I ensured for my 5 day challenge I had a bowl of All Bran cereal every day and it definitely gives you a good start to the mornings.

I do slip up with my eating from time to time and my body does immediately feel sluggish and my digestive system feels the effects with bloating etc. so anything to help me keep on track is good.

I do feel a lot better when eating healthily throughout the day and I found that I tended to have more nutrious meals after starting my day with All Bran. Therefore I can say I definitely felt good over the 5 days I ate All Bran. I think starting the day well tends to lead you to carry on the day well. I’m sure my digestive system benefited from eating All Bran based cereal each day and will continue eating it to hopefully build up a healthier digestive flow through my body.

This post is an entry for the Real Mums of All Bran Linky Challenge, sponsored by Kelloggs

Last Minute Father’s Day Gift Ideas from Dove and Radox

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Fiona Martin

With Father’s Day looming, it’s time to get shopping for a gift to give the Dad in your life. With two young children, we only look to buy small value items that they can give to daddy. With a daddy who has most things he needs, I try to avoid anything gimmicky or things that would end up as clutter so I try to search out for useful gifts for the children to give to daddy. Things such as chocolate are always a winner and something that will be eaten up quickly.

Another useful idea is toiletries, something a dad will always use, not too expensive and a great idea for him to try out something new. Dove have produced a range of gift sets, perfect to give your dad this Father’s Day.

We were sent the Daily Care Duo to try out, a set containing a bottle of Body and Face Wash and a can of 48hour anti-perspirant deodorant. Interestly the can is one of the new compressed can’s and looks quite small, but should last the same length of time. Handy for travel or for the gym bag! This set is aimed at the Active and Playful Dad, well our’s does cycle to and from work each day so this will be great to use in the shower after his cycle. These smell manly and fresh and my husband was pleased with them and would definitely use them again. He also agreed he’d be happy to receive a gift set like this on Fathers Day.

We also tried the Radox Muscle Therapy bath soak. This contains a stimulated blend including black pepper and ginseng to really help you relax. As you run the bath, the fragrance fills the bathroom, making it the perfect environment to relax in. Our daddy prefers showers to baths, but admitted that this is definitely relaxing and enjoyed laying down in the bath for a while – a great little treat!

If you are still looking for a Father’s Day gift or want to get a little extra, then why not check out one of this gift ideas from Dove or Radox. These are great for someone that is hard to buy for, has everything he wants or if you aren’t looking to spend too much. We’d recommend them and our daddy says he’d be more than happy to receive them on Father’s Day!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the toilietries in order to write the review.

Having fun with a Chocolate Easter Egg Kit

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Thanks to Stay in Devon, we were sent a Make Your Own Chocolate Egg kit to play with. Having two young children who love baking and getting messy in the kitchen this was ideal and they couldn’t wait to get started.

The kit came with two bags of chocolate buttons, a bag of sweeties and four half egg moulds. I cut the moulds in half so they each had two halves for their egg. I then melted the chocolate buttons in the microwave before we spooned a small amount into each mould and swirled it around to cover all of the sides. We then left it to set for ten minutes before adding another layer. In total we put three layers in each mould.

We left the chocolate egg moulds in the fridge overnight to thoroughly set, before turning them out in the next day. I was surprised at how easy they slipped out of the moulds, which I guess is partly due to the thin layer of oil that we wiped over each egg mould before starting as suggested in the instructions.

Miss M and Mister B were both keen to put the sweeties inside the egg so after dividing them up they filled an egg half with the sweets whilst I placed the other half of the egg on a hot baking tray to gently melt the edge. I then carefully placed the two halves together to form a whole chocolate egg.

Miss M then insisted we decorate the outside too, so we found a tube of Smarties in the cupboard which she proceeded to make face designs with to stick on to the eggs. We used a small amount of melted chocolate to stick them on.

Ta da – Miss M with the finished eggs!! Both children really enjoyed making these and can’t wait to crack them open on Easter Sunday.

We received the chocolate egg making kit from Stay in Devon as part of their #stayinhappybunnies campaign

Win a Case of Bahlsen Pick Up! Biscuits

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Fiona Martin

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Pick Up! are an exciting new biscuit from Bahlsen, consisting of a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two crisp biscuits. I know my two children would be eager to get their hands on these and they come in handy individually wrapped packets – perfect for snacks on the go!

With a pack containing 5 wrapped biscuits and a case containing 14 packs, that means I’m offering you the chance to win 70 of these rather scrummy looking biscuits, great for pack lunches, days out, morning snack at work or simply a treat whilst at home.

Why not check out the Ninja Chihuahua TV advert for Pick Up! biscuits:

So if you’d like a chance to win, just fill in the rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only
Winner will be contacted within 24 hours of giveaway end

I have received some packs of Pick Up! biscuits in return for running this giveaway.

Pastry Canapé Ideas using Pidy – Review

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Pidy are a supplier of a wide range of ready to fill pastry products, with many small canapé size shapes ideal for parties and gatherings. We were sent some mini round vol-au-vent shaped pastry cases – Zakouski’s and some Spoonettes.

For the Zakouski’s, it is suggested to heat them in the oven prior to filling to give a delicious, light puff pastry. I did this before letting them cool slightly then adding my filling. I decided to make a Feta cheese, Wild Rocket Pesto and Tomato filling by mashing 80g of Feta cheese with 3 teaspoons of the pesto and spooned this into each pastry case. I then added a quarter of a baby plum tomato to the top.

Personally I found these absolutely delicious as they included some of my favourite flavours. I made these when I had some visitors to get their opinions too, and they loved them and we all agreed that the pastry was really light and crisp. So quick to make as well, perfect for when you are short on time or have lots to make or just purely for convenience!

I then decided to try the Pidy Spoonettes, in which I thought I’d put a sweet filling into. As I’m trying to eat healthily at the moment, I used a pre-made chilled low fat chocolate and hazelnut dessert that I simply spooned into the pastry spoonettes. I then added a quarter of a strawberry on top to finish off! A very quick, simple and heavenly sweet canapé!

I’ve really enjoyed trying the Pidy pastry range, it’s really opened my eyes up to the sort of products available to make your life easier. With a busy family the idea of making pastry canapés often puts me off due to time but with these Pidy pastry shells, it literally takes minutes. I would definitely use these for a family celebration where we have a few people round and a few drinks or New Year’s Eve would be a good time to use them as well.

Thanks to food PR agency CLIP Creative and PR for the samples

Sweet Snacks and Treats – Reviews

Posted on January 19, 2014 by Fiona Martin

Following on from the fantastic bloggers night in at the end of last year, I did a round up of all our savoury snacks and here is a look at the great selection of sweet treats we had the opportunity to try out.

Soreen very kindly sent us each a goody bag packed full of the Soreen range to try. I took this home to my family who couldn’t wait to get stuck in. The Chocolate Soreen stood our for us and is a firm favourite with all of us – it didn’t last long, with a husband and two children devouring it at every opportunity! The fruity Soreen was perfect for the husbands pack lunch box and the sliced loaf made perfect snacks for the children at home. The banana lunchbox loaves are a favourite of three year old Mister B, being individually wrapped I keep them for out of the house or in his nursery lunch box. Overall I have to say as a family we are very impressed with Soreen and think they have made some wonderful additions to their range recently. We are definitely fans and Soreen is always on our shopping list!

Green & Blacks, a name we all know well in the world chocolate, kindly gave us a bar of their organic dark chocolate to taste. Personally I’m not a fan of dark chocolate but the husband is, so I let him try it for his opinion. He said it was “rich and smooth”, a taste he could savour and enjoy and only needing a few squares at a time meaning it lasting him several nights. A great quality chocolate he enjoyed.

Choc Shot by Sweet Freedom is a revolutionary 100% natural liquid chocolate with only 14 calories per teaspoon. It can be used in multiple ways from hot chocolate, milkshakes to toppings for ice cream, porridge or fruit. Choose your own way of using this multi functioning product. When my children saw it they immediately wanted to make hot chocolate and it couldn’t be easier, no more powdery lumps, just stir into warm milk and there you have a cup of creamy hot chocolate. My children loved it and it was great that they could make it themselves. We also tried it on ice cream for dessert and this was a hit too. The only thing that could be improved is perhaps an easier to squeeze bottle as once we were half way through the rest of the chocolate was a little difficult to get out – apart from that, what a fantastic product. Being suitable for vegetarians, vegans, diabetic and GM, dairy and gluten free this really is a product that anyone can try – why not give it a go?

Another brand we tried that caters for special dietary needs is Orgran, a top brand in the gluten free food market. All Orgran products are Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free, Egg free, Yeast Free, GMO Free and Vegan. We were sent a selection of sweet treats to try including shortbread hearts, Amaretti biscotti and chocolate biscotti. We did find the shortbread hearts a little hard and not quite the crumbly shortbread texture that we are used to but they did look pretty on the plate. The biscotti were nice and I did like both of the flavours. I took some samples home and found that they make the perfect accompaniment to Sweet Freedom’s Choc Shot. I think for someone limited to certain dietary requirements, then these Orgran biscuits are the perfect treat. They all look good and are perfect paired with a hot drink to dip in. If you are following a gluten free diet then I’d definitely recommend checking out the Orgran website as they have a wide variety of food choices and even a great range aimed at children following a gluten free diet.

Darling Spuds have brought out a sweet and salty popcorn. They come in handy size snack packs and I left the pack I had for my children to try. I did intend on trying one or two pieces myself but by the time I came back into the room they were gone! I think that speaks for itself – they obviously taste good and were a hit with my two. These are great as a snack and another that is gluten free along with being suitable for vegetarians and coeliacs. But the best feature has to be there are just 39 calories per bag!!

When I opened my bag and showed my children the Swizzels-Matlow goodies, their eyes popped out in excitement! Can we have one now they asked? With traditional favourites such as Love Hearts, Drumsticks and Fruity lollies my children were in sweetie heaven – oh but I did keep the Parma Violets for my handbag though!

Last but not least I have saved you the best till last. When I was offered my favourite ever chocolates to review how could I refuse. Guylian, the Belgian chocolate seashells are made from 100% pure cocoa butter with a unique hazelnut praline filling that is utterly divine.

The distinctive, glossy seashells and seahorse shapes are a sign of quality, a box of these is perfect as a gift for someone being affordable but luxury chocolates at the same time. I highly recommend these!!

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the products in order to write the reviews.

Win a Thorntons Christmas Chocolate Bundle

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Fiona Martin

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It’s the season for chocolate, well it is all year in my book, but hey at least you can enjoy it at this time of year without worrying about your waistline. There are a vast array of special designs and moulded figures available for the festive season that look almost too good to eat.

Thorntons have come up with a wonderful range suitable for children designed around The Snowman and The Snowdog, with much of it made of white chocolate. There are beautifully crafted models, chocolate lollipops and selection packs. Why don’t you check out the lovely range of Christmas gifts here at Thorntons.

If you’d like to win The Snowman & The Snowdog Christmas Bundle from Thorntons, then I have one to giveaway to a lucky reader, just fill in the form below to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and conditions

Prize draw open to customers and non-customers aged 18 or over who are UK residents. Draw is not open to employees of Thorntons, their families or anyone associated with this draw. Proof of eligibility must be provided on request.

Winners will be drawn at random at the end of the promotion.

The promoter reserves the right (a) to add to or waive any rules on reasonable notice (b) cancel or postpone the promotion at any stage in the event of circumstances beyond its reasonable control; or (c) in its reasonable discretion to substitute a prize of equal or greater value.